Steel Panther never fails to bull’s-eye their targets

Album review: Steel Panther’s ‘All You Can Eat’

Steel Panther All You Can Eat
Universal Republic
★★★★ (out of 5 stars)

What do you want from your glam metal parody? Do you want juicy riffs you can crank with vague irony? Do you want genuine laughs? All You Can Eat delivers both, pinching harmonics and chuckles from lewd setups every rinsed-out LA rocker has probably lived (“Gangbang at the Old Folks Home,” “Gloryhole”). Bagging on the likes of Poison has been old hat for a while now, but Steel Panther never fails to bull’s-eye their targets – thanks in part to honest appreciation of the source material. The fact that this is only album No. 4 in 14 years makes you lament SP’s work ethic. The wait is worth it, though, to hear singer Michael Starr adamantly offer lyrical advice like “You need to tell your dick to open up its fucking eyes,” the succinct thesis of album opener “Pussywhipped,” which covers exactly the topic you think it does.